The Crux of the Story

Gary Sheffer and Mike Fernandez
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  • BUSINESS
  • EVERY TWO MONTHS
The Crux of the Story Podcast

Two PR veterans who get to the heart of big stories in media and communications. Featuring guests such as the editor of the Wall Street Journal, and Oscar-winning producers.

  1. Steve Clayton on Microsoft’s Communication Strategy in the Age of AI

    6 MAY

    Steve Clayton on Microsoft’s Communication Strategy in the Age of AI

    How is Microsoft’s communication team reimagining its strategy in the Age of AI? Steve Clayton, vice president of communications strategy, joins The Crux to answer this question. Steve, a former systems engineer, focuses on the revolutionary aspects of generative software that can help communicators while recognizing its fallibility in translating human emotion. Steve also gives listeners tips on how to create the perfect “prompt” using Microsoft’s AI app, “Copilot.”

    40 min
  2. Former Prosecutor and Author Debbie Hines on the Inequities of the American Criminal Justice System

    29 APR

    Former Prosecutor and Author Debbie Hines on the Inequities of the American Criminal Justice System

    Former prosecutor Debbie Hines joins The Crux for a conversation on enduring racial inequity in the American criminal justice system. Debbie is a leading voice in the fight for transforming the system from the inside and an expert on the history of racial inequality. She highlights themes of her new book, "Get Off My Neck: Black Lives, White Justice, and A Former Prosecutor’s Quest for Reform." Debbie notes how probation and misdemeanor crimes are leading to unnecessary and disproportionate incarcerations of Black people.

    49 min
  3. Corey duBrowa and AnnaMaria DeSalva On How They Are Merging Two Storied PR Agencies

    15 APR

    Corey duBrowa and AnnaMaria DeSalva On How They Are Merging Two Storied PR Agencies

    Corey duBrowa, head of BCW, and AnnaMaria DeSalva, head of Hill & Knowlton discuss the merger of their global PR agencies to become Burson. Hear what they have been doing to integrate and support their teams before the July 1 launch. As they work toward the launch, they are managing changing approaches to ESG, how to use emerging AI tools to help clients manage risk and reputation, and a turbulent political environment. Plus, in the midst of all this, Corey was able to write a book on extended play recordings.

    45 min
  4. Weber Shandwick’s Chris Perry on How to Thrive in the Era of Machine and Man

    8 APR

    Weber Shandwick’s Chris Perry on How to Thrive in the Era of Machine and Man

    A discussion with Weber Shandwick’s Chris Perry on his new book, Perspective Agents: A Human Guide to the Autonomous Age, which focuses on relationships of two parallel revolutions: the technological uprising of automation and AI; and, and a new sense of human autonomy that allows us to find new meaning and direction. Perspective Agents challenges us to adapt and thrive in this new era of machine and man. Chris asks, “How does having instant answers enable us to do our own discovery, to do our own fact finding, and frankly to elevate our own agency.”

    39 min
  5. Philip Morris International’s New CCO: Judge us today, not by the 1990s

    1 APR

    Philip Morris International’s New CCO: Judge us today, not by the 1990s

    New PMI Chief Communications Officer Moira Gilchrist, who holds a Ph. D. in pharmaceutical sciences, says she wants people to know her company has changed and is serious about ending cigarette smoking. “ My passion…is to bring those facts to the fore so that everybody can make a decision about us based on facts of today and not on the memory on the memory of the 1990s,” a reference to a time when many tobacco companies were found to have misled the public about the dangers of smoking.

    41 min
  6. Journalist & BU prof David Abel on the Illuminating Power of Film

    25 MAR

    Journalist & BU prof David Abel on the Illuminating Power of Film

    Award-winning journalist and Boston University College of Communication professor David Abel, newest movie, Inundation District, focuses on Boston’s Seaport district, which is threatened by rising seawater. The film is a master class in science-based journalism in a time of eroding trust in science. A prolific filmmaker, Abel’s works have largely focused on natural resource issues off New England’s coast. However, his journey as a filmmaker began in 2013 when he was documenting the first little person to run the Boston Marathon. He was at the finish line when the bombs exploded that day. His reporting on the tragedy with colleagues at the Boston Globe earned the team a Pulitzer Prize. This is an episode for anyone interested in becoming a better storyteller and the power of visual media.

    44 min
  7. Behind the Seams: Nancy Elder of the NY Mets & Jon Weisman talkin' communications

    10 MAR

    Behind the Seams: Nancy Elder of the NY Mets & Jon Weisman talkin' communications

    Jon Weisman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Nancy Elder, of the New York Mets join The Crux to discuss leading comms for two of the world's leading sports franchises. From working with team execs to dealing with team execs to players’ social media habits, Nancy and Jon provide a fascinating inside look at their roles as communicators in major league baseball.

    44 min
  8. Princeton Professor D. Graham Burnett is Fighting the Forces Fracking Our Attention

    18 FEB

    Princeton Professor D. Graham Burnett is Fighting the Forces Fracking Our Attention

    D. Graham Burnett, director and co-founder for the Institute for Sustained Attention, says the problem of fragmented attention has reached “catastrophic proportions.” He is helping lead a fight against “powerful systems” that are “fracking” society’s attention. How? By building a school and community on the topic, and his writing and teachings, including a Princeton course, “Attention Economy.” For communicators, is there a more essential question than this: How do we get people to pay attention to what we are saying?

    52 min
See All (124)

About

Two PR veterans who get to the heart of big stories in media and communications. Featuring guests such as the editor of the Wall Street Journal, and Oscar-winning producers.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Sheffer and Mike Fernandez
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Crux of the Story

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